Hard floor surfaces such as concrete, ceramic tile, asphalt, vinyl tile, finished wood, and the like are generally durable and easily maintained. Accordingly, hard floor surfaces are commonly utilized in high traffic areas as they can withstand years of wear without losing aesthetic appeal. One common problem with hard floor surfaces is that they are slippery and offer little traction. The problems of hard floor surfaces become exacerbated when water, oil, grease, sand, or the like are deposited onto the floor.
The problems associated with hard floor surfaces have been known in the flooring industry for many years. Numerous attempts have been made in the prior art to address the above-noted traction problems of hard floor surfaces.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,836,420 relates to a decorative safety tread applique for use on the floor surfaces of bathtubs, showers, and the like. The applique is provided with a reportedly slip-preventing upper surface and has at least one laterally extending row of indicia-shaped openings therethrough arranged so as to be engageable by the feet of the user to further reportedly preclude accidental slipping. For purposes of advertising, the indicia-shaped openings may be arranged to form the name of a business or the like. The floor of the bathtub or shower is visible through the indicia-shaped openings.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,662,972 relates to methods of forming a reportedly non-skid surface on a base member, wherein the base member may consist of a wood, plastic, metal or concrete surface structure. One method includes applying one or more coats or layers of epoxy resin to one surface of a wood base member. After the epoxy resin is set, a first coat of polyurethane is applied thereover at a thickness determined by the size of the grit material that is disseminated in the first coat of polyurethane, whereby the upper portion of the grit is exposed so as to be covered by a second polyurethane coat applied over the first coat of polyurethane, the grit being locked within and between the two coats of polyurethane. An additional method includes the step of affixing a fiber/cement panel to the base member and applying the first polyurethane coat to the surface of the fiber/cement panel, followed thereafter by the grit and the second coat of polyurethane, whereby a reportedly non-skid surface is established thereon.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,401,560 relates to reportedly non-slip laminatable materials which are provided by coating a polymer sheet backing with mineral particles adhered to the backing by a radiation curable adhesive.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,787,655 relates to a method for manufacturing a decorative reportedly slip-resistant cover system including the step of impacting a softened polymer film with a plurality of beads-such that a section of each bead protrudes from the softened polymer film. The softened polymer film is hardened. The sections of the beads are embedded into an upper layer of the cover system.